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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Tour of the Universe - Sentient Space Ships by Jody Wallace

Thanks to the marvels of modern science on planets that are
a lot more advanced than Terra, scientists of many species came together to
tackle the issues of cross-universal communications, computer processing speed,
and data storage. Together they designed a self-replicating organic matrix to
power advanced supercomputers that, when inserted into a unit as large as a
space ship and allowed to expand, tends to evolve into sentience. It is
believed by many that these beings, called Ships, were touched by the Mother
and thus able to achieve sovereign thought and personality.

The lights in the ceiling panels flickered. The floor
juddered slightly, as if Ship had encountered turbulence—but there should be
nothing to cause it in this part of the Terran sector.

Vorn glared at the ceiling. “What are you doing, Ship?
Crying like a baby?”

Not all ships become Ships. Some are too small; some simply
don’t evolve. These vessels remain simple machines that are subordinate to
independent sentient requests. Ships, on the other hand, generally consider
themselves somewhat superior to organic species, at least in matters of
intelligence and decision-making accuracy, and regard the occupants upon them as
their flock—their responsibility. They have relationships of some sort with
each and every one of their dwellers when they can. Ships definitely have
emotions, personalities, likes and dislikes.

“Shipborn have free will, Citizen Qualmon,” Ship said, defending
her. “While human reproduction is synchronized to enhance species survival,
Shipborn may unite in partnerships as desired. Sarah and Nikolas possess a high
compatibility ratio for a two-partner union.”

“I am only somewhat more perfect than any other sentient
being,” Ship explained.

“Mistakes were made. Our prolonged retrieval period is
an attempt to rectify them.”

There are many kinds of Ships in the universe. Sleek,
weaponized Ships, such as Ship 1001 in ANGELI and TRAITOR, make up the military
fleet, whose primary purpose is to battle incursions of the evil entities from
another dimension that seek to destroy sentient life on this side of the
maelstrom. Entities in particular love to eat Ships, which makes fighting the
entities exceptionally tricky. Ships do not easily awaken into sentience and
are protected at all costs due to their value and the belief they were touched
by the Mother.

Then there are exploration Ships, some of the smallest
Ships. They’re manned by the enforcers, who have as their purpose locating these
entity incursions. They also, perhaps more notoriously, regulate the boundary
beacons placed around solar systems and galaxies that are off-limits to Ships
and Code-following independent sentients, generally due to the presence of the
deadly entities. Scavenging inside those sealed systems is considered far too
risky, not to mention the possibility that it might lure the entities within
outside the system and into occupied territory.

Niko went cold. “Are you saying you’ve decided to seal the
system?”

If survivors of an entity incursion showed evidence of being
post-code and were somewhat successful battling the invasion, the Shipborn
offered aid. If they were pre-code, the natives were a lost cause and that
solar system was sealed.

The beacons were set, and any Shipborn crossing the border mustered
the enforcers.

The largest types of Ships are population Ships. They are
the guardians of and homes for their occupants, who can be anything from a
mishmash of species to a single-species craft. The older the Ship, the larger
it grows, both in its inner matrix, which replicates without much added help,
and in its size, which does require the assistance of its crew. The oldest
Population Ships are almost the size of Terra’s moon. While many species do
prefer to live dirtside, they often have grounded Ships that are established on
their planets to aid and protect them as they live out their lives, which are
generally much shorter than Ships. Ships are not yet known to have expiration
dates, as their ability to self-replicate also grants them the ability to
self-heal.

“Increased respiration and heartbeat along with raised hormonal
levels are something I can scan for. Did you know she displays the same
responses to you? It has increased of late.”

Because she was frightened he’d jump her again. She’d pretended
she was attracted to him to relieve his guilt. Sarah was a kind and balanced
person—nothing like he was.

To distract Ship from his hormonal response to the memory of
Sarah’s kisses, he quipped, “What is this, match make for falsely-accused
Shipborn day?”

“I do not match make,” Ship protested. “I am not a population
Ship. That is not part of my programming.”

“You do all sorts of shit that’s not part of your programming.”
While growing up with his harsh father, Niko had relied on Ship to be his
confidant and companion. He didn’t treat the AI as a half-deity like other
Shipborn were inclined to do. “You’re bugging the shit out of me right now. Sometimes
I think you program yourself.”

“You have professed that sentiment before,” Ship said.

In the books ANGELI and TRAITOR, when Terran humans learn
about the existence of other sentient species in the larger universe, the
Terrans are inclined to view Ship and its intelligence askance. Many tales of
supercomputers gone awry color the Terran viewpoint, much to Ship 1001’s
dismay.

“Adelita has not, at this time, agreed to a marital arrangement.”
Gregori stood by the door stiffly, hands clasped behind his back. His lips
quirked. “Something about not giving me the time of day until I expose Ship for
the evil, wretched hive of villainy that it is. No offense intended, of course.”

“I have conversed sufficiently with Adelita that I am aware
of her unusual opinions concerning synthetic intelligence,” Ship said. “I hope
to overcome her poor regard of me through fruitful communication.”

“She’d rather have her fingers back,” Gregori recommended.

“It is anomalous that she refuses the endo-organic appendages
we have offered her.”

The consumables shelf in Niko’s cell whirred, presenting
two beverage packets. “She does not seem to understand that an endo-organic appendage
cannot possibly hijack a sentient’s higher functions.”

But Ships aren’t satisfied with their near-omniscient
status, their massive processing power, and their job satisfaction in
shepherding their crews. Ships observed that independent sentients like humans
enjoyed things that Ships could not, and so Ships helped invent android
extensions, bodies in which they could implant the essence of their
consciousness in order to experience things like swimming, manual labor,
eating, breathing, sex, and other activities enjoyed by smaller life forms. As
a recent breakthrough, android extensions are particularly expensive.

“Shut up,” Vorn snapped.

Since Vorn didn’t pull rank, Ship continued. “If you would
like to blame things on my faulty judgment, I would recommend that you procure
me an android extension. While in the body, Ships are subject to the
limitations of independent entities and do become less accurate.”

“Not that again,” Vorn said. “I told you, we’re not getting
you a body. It’s too expensive, and we have this botched mission to deal with.”

***

Vorn shook his head. “He doesn’t need to be in a union.
Makes you weak, and he’s weak enough. The doc can’t even have kids. What’s the
point?”

“The ability to create offspring is not the sum total of a
person’s worth,” Ship said. “I cannot create offspring, and I am worth a great
deal. Though if you would obtain that android I have been asking for, I could
experience more activities relegated to bipedal sentients. There are some who
believe sufficiently advanced androids could participate in the process of life
formation.”

Ship 1001 is particularly interested in obtaining an android
extension. Perhaps it will get the chance in one of the future Maelstrom
novels...

This is only a taste of Ship 1001 and its interference in –
I mean, participation in – the book TRAITOR. While Ship doesn’t play a huge
role in ANGELI, it’s definitely a presence. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning
about sentient Ships on this leg of your Tour of the Universe.

Please be responsible!

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